Prop for clotheslines



March 7, 1950 E. J. CALIM 2,500,060

PROP FOR CLOTHESLINES Filed April 22, 1946 ATTOE/VE Y ?atented Mar. 7,1950 UNITED STATES PTENT OFFICE PROP FOR CLOTHESLINES Edward J. Calim,Dayton, Ohio Application April 22, 1946, Serial N0.'664,0.66

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a prop for a clothes line or the like.

One object of the invention is to provide a strong durable prop whichcan be quickly and easily adjusted to diiierent lengths.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a prop with simpleeasily operated means for positively securing the sections thereof inadjusted positions.

A further object of the invention is to provide a prop which can bequickly attached to and detached from the line which is supports.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a prop having aplurality of telescoping tubular sections.

Other objects of. the invention maytappear the device is described indetail.

in the accompanying drawings Fig. 1' is aside elevation of a propembodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken centrally through the prop; Fig.3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is asectional view of a modified form of attaching device; and Fig. 5 is asection taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

In these drawings I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of theinvention, together with a minor modification thereof, but it is to beunderstood that the several parts of the prop may take various forms andmay be assembled in various ways without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

In the construction here illustrated the prop comprises a lower section5 of strong rigid tubu- Ear material, such as metal, and an uppertubular section 6 of similar material which is slidably mounted in thelower section. While the present disclosure is limited to two sectionsit will be obvious that any suitable number of sections may be provided.

The two sections of the prop may be connected in any suitable manner,and preferably the connecting device is in the nature of a lock carriedby one of the sections and adapted to engage the other section to lockthe two sections in their L adjusted relative positions. In the formhere shown the inner section is provided with a longitudinal series ofopenings '3, preferably short transverse slots, and the locking devicecomprises a yieldable member secured to the outer section and having apart adapted to engage a opening in the inner section. Prefer-- ably thelocking device comprises a resilient arm 8 attached at one end to theouter section iii and having adjacent its other end an inwardlyextending part or lug 9 adapted to enter a selected opening in the innersection. The arm 8 may be secured to the outer section in any suitablemanner, and as here shown it is provided with a resilient band l0,formed integral therewith and extending about the major portions of thecircumference of the outer section.

Ordinarily the resilliency of the band is sufficient to secure the bandin place, but it may, of course, be permanently attached, as bysoldering it to the section. In the arrangement here shown the band isspaced a short distance from the upper end of the outer section 5 andthe arm 8 extends beyond the upper end of that section so 'asto overlapthe inner section. Thus the; position oithe'opening l in which it isdesired to insert the lug 9 is clearly visible and the lug-f can beeasily inserted therein. Adjacent the lug 9 the arm 8 is provided witha' substantia'lly fiat portion H, the lateral edges of which are spacedfrom the tubular section so as to provide finger grips by means of whichthe lug may be withdrawn to release the sections for relawhich it is tosupport, so that it will not be disengaged therefrom by the swinging ofthe line,

due to wind or the like. For this purpose there is connected with theupper end of the uppersection, in, the present instance the innersection, a yieldable device w ich may be enga with and disengaged fromthe line by a push or a pull on the prop. Preferably the devicecomprises two resilient members I 2 having means to receive and retainthe line between them.

In the particular form here illustrated this de vice is formed of astrip of resilient metal which is bent to provide the same with endportions l3 1 adapted to be secured to the prop and from which themembers or arms l2 extend in slightly diverging lines. The intermediateportion of the strip is then bent inwardly upon itself to provide twoinner members I4 and i5 which are connected one with the other at theirlower ends and are maintained substantially in contact one with theother when not in engagement with the line. The inner members areconnected at their upper ends with the upper ends of the respective armsl2 by curved portions is which provide a tapered guideway to enable theattaching device to be easily pushed over the line. Preferably, one ofthe inner members, in the present instance I5, is provided with one ormore transverse recesses I! to receive a portion of the line and thusfirmly connect the same with the prop. The yieldable arms l2 may beattached to the prop in any suitable manner, and as shown in Fig. 2 theoverlapping ends 13 of the arms are provided with apertures throughwhich extends a stud I 8 the end of which is upset to retain the ends ofthe arms thereon. Preferably the stud I8 is secured to or formedintegral with a plug I8 which is tightly inserted in the upper tubularmember and is retained therein by friction or in any suitable manner. Inthe arrangement shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the ends IQ of the arms I2 extenddownwardly in parallel relation one to the other and are curved onlongitudinal axis to fit in the end of the upper tubular member, inwhich they may be retained by the resiliency of the arms or in anysuitable manner.

Preferably the prop is also provided at its lower end with a baseportion to engage the supporting surface, and this'base member ispreferably of a material, such as soft rubber, which will prevent theprop from sliding on a hard surface, such as a floor or pavement. Ashere shown it comprises a tapered member [9 having an upper portion 20of reduced size which fits tightlyin the lower end of the prop. Meansmay also be provided for draining from the interior or the prop anywater which may enter the same, andin' the present arrangernent the baseI9 is provided with a duct 2| extending" from the interior of the propto'the exterior of the base.

While I have shown and described one'einbodiment of my invention I wishit to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the detailsthereof as various modificationsmay occur to a person skilled in theart.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A prep for a line comprising upper and lower rigid tubular sections,the upper section being slidable in and extending above the lowersection, and having an opening in the wall thereof, a locking membercomprising an elongate strip of resilient material extending lengthwiseof and substantially in contact with the lower section "and secured atone end to said lower section at a point spaced a substantial distancefrom the upper end thereof, said strip extending upwardly beyond saidlower section and having at its free end an inturned portion extendingacross the upper end of said lower section and adapted to enter anopening in said upper section, said resilient strip also having adjacentthe upper end thereof parts extending laterally therefrom and spacedfrom said inner section to form a finger grip.

2. A device for connecting a prop with a line, comprising two resilientarms having means whereby they may be secured to the upper end of saidprop in upwardly extending relation thereto, saidarms being spacedlaterally one from the other and having their upper end portions bentinwardly and then downwardly between and in laterally spaced relation tothe upwardly extending portions of said arms, said downwardly extendingportions having their lower ends rigidly connected one with the otheradjacent the lower ends of the upwardly extending portions of said arms,one of said downwardly extending portions having between the endsthereof a recess of a depth approximating the thickness of said line andthe other of said downwardly extending portions having a substantiallystraight part to engage the first mentioned downwardly extending portionabove and below said recess when said line is in'said recess, saiddownwardly extending portions having downwardly converging upper partsto engage said line and being separated thereby to permit said line toenter said recess.

3. A device for connecting a prop with a line comprising a stud adaptedto be secured to the upper end of said prop, a one piece structure ofresilient material having upwardly extending laterally spaced fiat armsthe lower ends of which extend inwardly in overlapping relation and havealined apertures through which said stud extends, and having linegripping parts extending downwardly from the upper ends of said armssubstantially in contact one with the other between and in spacedrelation to said arms with their connected lower ends spaced a shortdistance from said stud, at least one of said line gripping parts havinga line receiving recess.

4. A device for connecting a prop with a line comprising a one piecestructure of resilient material including a pair of upright laterallyspaced arms having their lower portions shaped to extend into and togripthe upper end of atubular prop, line engaging parts extendingdownwardly from the upper ends of said arms between and in spacedrelation to said arms and connected one to the other at their lowerends, curved parts connecting the upper ends of said line engaging partswith the upper ends of the respective arms, one of said line engagingparts having between the upper and lower portions thereof a linereceiving recess of a depth approximating the thickness of said line,and the other of said line engaging parts having a substantiallystraight portion extending across said recess and substantially incontact with the first mentioned line engaging part above and below saidrecess.

EDWARD J. CALIM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 576,279 Schleese Feb. 2, 1897581,360 Mery Apr. 27, 1897 714,102 Day Nov. 18, 1902 724,382 Conn Mar.31, 1903 733,984 Lucas July 21, 1903 916,413 Biedermann Mar. 30, 1909930,406 McDonald Aug. 10, 1909 1,204,038 Levin Nov. '7, 1916 1,350,978Mecklin Aug. 24, 1920 1,374,609 Schell Apr. 12, 1921 2,045,484 NeedhamJune 23, 1936 2,164,609 Cusick July 4, 1939

